


timelines

by moonlitceleste



Series: Maribat Platonic November 2020 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, Gen, mari is too stubborn for her own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitceleste/pseuds/moonlitceleste
Summary: Maribat Platonic November Day 2 - Timeline
Relationships: Tim Drake & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Maribat Platonic November 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006653
Kudos: 67





	timelines

“Second chance!”

The glow dissipated, and Marinette stood there, panting. A faint ticking noise sounded, which could be traced to the green ouroboros bracelet wrapping around her wrist. It was a stark contrast to her sleek maroon-and-black uniform and the darkness of another gloomy Gotham night.

“How many times?”

She dodged his concerned gaze, ponytail whipping with the movement.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it  _ does _ . You’re going to exhau—”

A sharp  _ hiss _ cut the boy’s words off.

“Second chance!”

Marinette would rather use the ability a million times than have to tell him that she had failed. Again.

She turned to meet Tim’s concerned face.  _ Again. _

“How many times?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The lie was like lead on her tongue, but she had said it enough times that it didn’t matter anymore. She could see him open his mouth, probably to ask her if she was okay just like he had all the times before.

She decidedly ignored him and spouted out instructions instead.

“You take the right. Watch out overhead.”

The words were short and clipped as she prepared to leap onto the roof overhead. Before she could gather the momentum, a hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist, almost faster than her bracelet’s namesake.

It was warm and strong, the grip just loose enough that Marinette could break out of it if she wanted to.

“Talk to me.”

Sweat dripped down her forehead, a product of all the alternate timelines she had experienced.

“We don’t have time for this right now, Tim,” she growled. “Black Masks’s gang is on the move.  _ Like we should be. _ ” Her last words were biting, but he knew it was only out of frustration.

“You can’t keep doing this.”

There was a beat of silence, and he hoped his words had gotten through to her.

“I have to.”

Apparently not. Sometimes he forgot just how stubborn she could be.

“No, you  _ don’t _ . Let me do it, let anyone else do it. You’re running yourself ragged, and you look like you’re going to collapse any second. I’m worried about you. ”

Something about his pleading eyes made Marinette snap.

“Do you think I’d still be doing this unless I had no other choice? You haven’t seen what I have, Tim. I’ve lived through these types of things enough to handle myself.”

The ongoing operation they had to stop was long forgotten by now.

His eyes widened for a second before his features softened. Marinette hated that look. It was pity.

She didn’t want to be pitied.

“I’m  _ fine. _ It’s fine, now let’s  _ go _ . We’ve already wasted enough time.”

She tried to shove past him, but he refused to budge.

“Tim, what are you doing?” she hissed.

His jaw was clenched in irritation, but anger was better than whatever pity there was before. She hadn’t expected what came out of his mouth next, though.

“Why won’t you just let me  _ help you? _ You don’t have to do this alone. You’re not alone.”

The genuine worry in his voice made her stop and reconsider for a second. She took a deep breath while Tim waited in patient anticipation for her answer.

“I just… I don’t want you to see what I saw,” she started, glancing somewhere off to the side rather than looking at his face. “I’ve done this before—I should be able to handle it. But I keep  _ messing up _ .” Her head snapped up, and Tim could see the anguish in her eyes. “Do you know how many times I’ve seen you die? It happened again and again, and every single time I couldn’t get to you in time.”

The next words were as quiet as a whisper, but Tim caught them anyways. “I can’t put you through that.”

He didn’t know how to respond, so he went with an attempt at humor. “Not even if I volunteer?”

She didn’t look amused.

Switching back to a more serious expression, he enveloped her hands in his, making sure she understood his next words. They were small and warm in his.

“I can handle it, Marinette. Gotham isn’t exactly a pretty place—look at where we are now. It’s not your fault it didn’t work before, but it doesn’t have to be your burden. I can help you. Let me help you.  _ Trust me _ .”

Her brows furrowed, and she worriedly gnawed at her lip as she processed his words. The warmth in his palms suddenly left as she took her hands out of his. For a second Tim thought she was going to reach for her bracelet, but she set her arms at her side and closed her eyes.

“Sass, scales rest.”

The green light faded to reveal Marinette standing in a suit that looked identical to the one she had just been wearing. The only difference was that the previous was magically bulletproof, while this one was only normally bulletproof.

The kwami collapsed into her outstretched hands, and she transferred him over to one so she could rummage through her utility belt for food. She pulled out a granola bar from one of the pouches.

“Sorry, Sass. I can’t put eggs into my belt.”

Marinette broke off a small piece and fed it to the kwami, who gobbled up. Almost instantaneously, the tiny deity zipped into the air like new. It regarded Tim with scrutinizing eyes as Marinette handed the bracelet over to him.

He wasn’t intimidated by the tiny god, exactly, but the yellow eyes boring into him were a bit unsettling. He knew the kwamis were fiercely protective of Marinette—so was he, in a way.

“You have chosen a good one, Guardian.”

Marinette glanced over at him and smiled. “I know.”

She suddenly straightened up and nodded her head at him.

“You know the words.”

He inclined his head back at her. “Sass, scales slither!”

The glow faded and the two shared twin smiles, a new look of confidence on Marinette’s face.

“Let’s do this.”


End file.
